Our Amazing Week in Austin

For an entire week, my husband and I spent our time enjoying the sights, sounds and sinfully good barbecue in Austin, Texas, and wow, what a week it was! Between visiting friends, exploring the city and searching for our first home, it was a very busy but enjoyable vacation.

Here are a few snaps from our amazing time spent in my favorite Southern city, starting with one of our new favorite Austin attractions, the lovely Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center…

Bluebonnets, Texas’s beautiful blue state flower, were blossoming all over the trails and the only thing you could hear were birds, the rustling of leaves and the calm trickle of a nearby stream. Well, and Mark’s cell phone ringing. It was a work day, after all!

We visited the gardens towards the end of our trip, which was a nice, relaxing way to wrap up the busy week. The sweet people we met there and the gorgeous scenery definitely left me feeling so happy, refreshed and rejuvenated! I tell ya, you’ll never find a friendlier bunch of people than in Austin.

Before the gardens, though, we had taken a trip to tour the stunning state capitol, which is nestled among this quiet park where we took an afternoon stroll. If you’re ever in Austin, I highly recommend the capitol tour – It’s free, and I’d say that’s a small price to pay to get an interesting Texas history lesson!

But, oh, the barbecue! Sticky, saucy, slow-cooked goodness at Smitty’s, Cooper’s, and even the café in the downtown Whole Foods foodie mecca… how could I forget you! All of our mouthwatering meals with friends were almost the highlight of this trip, only falling second to…

… Our new house! Yup, Mark and I found a wonderful first home in Austin with the help of our realtor, and well, signing on the dotted line was definitely the highlight of the whole trip! We’re absolutely in love with it and will be moving in around the first week in June. Relocating from California to Texas will be no small feat, but we’re excited to experience this together. After seven years of city living, it’s about time we finally make a house a home!

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into our week as much as I’ve looked forward to sharing it with you. I’ll get back to sharing new recipes as often as possible with you, though this season my posts may become a little more infrequent due to the big change of moving into our first home.

Thanks for stopping by and reading along. Here goes another new adventure!

oh! I have been reading your blog for a little while, but perhaps not long enough to know you are moving to Austin. I just moved from there (literally days ago – I am still in a hotel waiting for movers to move my things into my new apartment in Fairfax, VA). I left so much of my heart in Austin. I lived right next to that Whole Foods mecca, and much of my paycheck ended up there as well :PMy absolute favorite restaurants: Home Slice Pizza (on South Congress – if you go on a weekend prepare to wait for up to 2 hours, but it is worth it. Have garlic knots and drinks on the back patio. Pepperoni mushroom is my favorite). Texas French Bread for fresh/local sandwiches and salads. Guero’s for tex-mex (across the street from Home Slice), Hopdoddy for burgers (also next to Guero’s), Sugar Mama’s for cupcakes (on south 1st street), and my favorite brunch spots: Z Tejas, Kerbey Lane, Blue Star Cafeteria, Taverna, Moonshine… I could go on.Sorry to post a novel – I hope you guys love Austin as much as I do

Ooo, congrats on the house!! I remember when you told me awhile ago that you were planning to move there. I love Austin! Have been thinking for a long time about moving there myself and started looking at apartment listings again a few days ago. Good luck with the move!

Hi Georgia! Congratulations on your new home!! Wow, how exciting! I’d be already thinking of new interior design and all that fun stuff. The house looks beautiful (and big)! And from your clothes it looks like it’s hot there already. LOL. Have fun packing up and we look forward to your posts from your NEW kitchen in June. Congrats again! ^_^

Thank you for taking the time to say such nice things on my “snippets” site. I wanted to drop in and say that we are in Texas (Houston) via the North, East, Midwest, and now South. Congratulations on your move. My daughter is looking at U.T. for college so if she chooses it, we may spend quite a bit of time in Austin!

These pictures are incredible. So inviting. I love the tone of your blog and this post, in particular. It’s so breezy and relaxing and really reflects that vicarious vacation vibe. Thank you for sharing!

Georgia, this is such an exciting post. I have only heard amazing things about Austin. You and your hubs are adorable & you look so happy. Congrats on your new house, beautiful! Can’t wait to read about all your new adventures in TX. xo

Thanks Stephanie, and thank you everyone for your very kind comments! What prompted the move was just the fact that we fell in love with the city, the people and the culture during a trip last year! We’ve been eager to leave Los Angeles for years, for many reasons, and Austin seemed like a great place we could really call home. :)

Georgia!!! Congratulations to you and Hubby on your new, beautiful home. How exciting and it’s just weeks away. Are you all ready and just about packed? Austin’s going to be great…Texas is great! I’m happy for you! =)

Welcome!!! I just moved back to Austin, after missing it terribly for ten years, last July. The city has never been a better place to live. So happy for you guys. Maybe we can get together for a margarita once you’re settled! PS the house looks AWESOME!

Wow what a nice house, I am so envious ;-) Here in NJ space is limited and it comes at a premium, maybe some day. Keep up with the great food postings, I have been following closely :-). Good luck in Austin.

Georgia! Congrats on the new house! Ironically, my husband and I have decided to move to Denver and will be leaving Texas! I really hope you enjoy Austin and I am super jealous of your new house. I hope the move goes well!

Wowza, what a gorgeous home! Congratulations! I bet you paid half of what you would have here in Cali. My husband and I have been looking at houses lately, but not seriously. We’re saving up to have a huge down payment, it’s just hard to get a nice newer home here for under $500,000 that isn’t loaded with HOA and mello roos fees.

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